View Single Post
Old 11-27-2022, 10:26 PM   #51 (permalink)
MadMadamMalfoy
Moderator
Newbie Mod



MO & DMLE
Chizpurfle
 
MadMadamMalfoy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Hazbin Hotel
Posts: 10,915

Hogwarts RPG Name:
Norman A. Carton
Graduated

Hogwarts RPG Name:
Sydney M. L. Masters
Slytherin
First Year

Ministry RPG Name:
Gaston A.L. Marchand
Minister's Office

Ministry RPG Name:
Normandie A. Carton
Law Enforcement
Default
Rhibear ~ Madam Solo ~ Dark Brooding Girl ~ Accio Jedi ~ Gryffinclaw ~ Just a doll

SPOILER!!: attempting to catch up
Out of the corner of her eye, Desiree caught the nod from Professor Mancini and gave the professor a small smile in return. Looks like she was on the right track with the wand movement after all. What a relief! She’d hate to send herself or someone else into fits of hysterical laughter when the time came to practice the spell for real!

Speaking of which, Desiree wasn’t the least bit surprised to learn that was the next activity. She listened intently to the professor’s instructions. Seemed pretty straightforward so far… Her bright blue eyes scanned the room in search of a partner, but it looked like everyone was already paired. Now what was she going to do? She might turn into a wombat at any moment, and she’d like to practice the spell before that happened! Unwilling to let the lack of a partner stop her from learning a new charm, she decided to practice on herself instead.

A thought suddenly occurred to her. How would she know if the spell worked? She was usually pretty cheery to begin with, the whole Peeves incident and random teddy rat transformations notwithstanding. Hmm, maybe if she thought of something sad before casting, it would create a stark contrast in her mood? It was worth a try, she supposed.

She racked her brains for the saddest things she could think of: injured animals, tragic love stories where one of the romantic leads dies, her family and friends upset, being stuck as a teddy rat forever… Okay, that was enough of that! If she made herself too sad, she’d start crying and be unable to concentrate! With a look of intense concentration, she drew her wand and made the cartoony tongue shape, taking care not to make it too wide or too pointy. “Gaudeo!” she cast, aiming at her free arm. Did it work?

All at once, Desiree forgot all about the sad thoughts! A wide smile spread across her face, and a giggle escaped her. Just a little one, not a hysterical fit! Whoa, that actually worked! Desiree thought. Wait until Dad hears I did the cheering charm on myself! That thought lifted her spirits even more than the charm itself.


Desiree faced the front, listening carefully as the professor spoke again. Holy hippogriffs, that was a lot of questions! She was silent for a moment as she gathered her thoughts, trying to break that huge chunk of questions down into something she could answer. Okay, so she didn’t know enough Latin to answer the first part of the question. Luther had already mentioned distracting an opponent with the cheering charm, and she couldn’t think of any other use for it in dueling.

She decided to focus on the “negative connotations” part of the question. As she thought, Ash’s answer jogged her memory. That sounded a lot like her dad’s reasoning behind his refusal to ever use the cheering charm! Aside from the whole artificial happiness thing, he said the cheering charm was just a way to hide from one’s negative emotions. WIth that in mind, Desiree raised her hand and said, “Some people might use the cheering charm’s artificial happiness as an escape from other emotions and develop an overdependence on the charm… which I guess is a negative connotation because if you hide from your real feelings, you don’t learn to process them.”

Did that make any sense at all? It did in her head, but when she tried to voice it, it sounded wrong!
__________________
Old voices I had thought long since dead whisper of another life I might have led

If I could take that second chance, If I could make my life anew, If only dreams came true...
MadMadamMalfoy is offline